Peter

November 12

Acts 10:23-35

No favorites in the Church!

The day before Peter’s vision, Cornelius, a Roman official, had also seen a vision. An angel appeared to Cornelius and told him to send men to find Peter.

When the men arrived in Joppa, they found Peter and told him that Cornelius wanted to see him. So the next day, Peter and the men left for Caesarea. When they arrived, they found Cornelius and his family and friends waiting patiently.

Then Peter spoke to those who had gathered, saying, “Our Jewish custom does not allow us to enter the house of a Gentile (a person who isn’t a Jew). But through a vision, God showed me that He accepts all those who do what is right, no matter what race they belong to.”

Does God have favorites?

The Good News of Jesus is for everyone—every person from every race, every class, every belief, and every culture. Yes, God loves every person on earth (John 3:16). But just because He loves so many millions of people, don’t think that God doesn’t notice you in the crowd. God loves you personally!

Because God made you special, He knows you and loves you in a special way, and He has a special purpose for your life. God loves you with a love that is just for you—as though you were the only person in the universe. Yet God loves every other person that way too, and because He has no favorites, it means that you will never be less important than someone else! God’s love is so great that He can love all His children as though each of them was His favorite child.

God also wants us to accept people and to be kind to all—no matter where they come from, what they look like, or what they believe.

Verse for today

My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. James 2:1